Read Online Beauty and the Dark by Georgia le Carre - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Georgia le Carre
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zero appetite I take a bite out of my burger. “Tell me about you?” I invite.
She swallows and shrugs delicately. “There’s not much to tell,” she says hesitantly. “I live with my sister, her husband and their daughter.”
I nod. “Do you work?”
She shakes her head and the light catches her eyes and they glow like warmed honey with bits of gold pollen. Beautiful. I gaze at her and she blushes.
“What do you do with your time?” I ask. I need to stop behaving like a teenager.
She picks up a chip, dips it restlessly a few times in ketchup, leaves it at the side of her plate, and picks up her glass of Coke. Without drinking from it she puts it back down.
“I know it must seem as if I’d have a whole load of time and be bored all day, but in fact, it’s not so. I have my sister, my niece, and my puppy, and the days just fly. Before I know it, it’s already bedtime.”
I take another bite and try to imagine her life, and just cannot. It seems so different, so alien. Living in the tower of a castle. Spending every day with her sister, a baby, and a puppy.
“Do you guys go out a lot?” I ask curiously.
She laughs nervously. “No, rarely. I’m a homebody, I don’t like leaving the castle grounds.’ She wipes her mouth and quickly deflects the question back to me. “What about you? Do you go out a lot?”
“Uh, my apartment is basically just a place I go to sleep at night.” I don’t tell her that half the time I don’t even go home to sleep.
“Oh,” she murmurs. “How completely different we are. I can’t imagine only returning home to sleep. I guess I’m a bit of a loner. I prefer to spend a lot of time on my own.”
“Don’t you like people?”
“It’s not that I don’t like people. I find it hard to connect with them. They are not like animals or children, are they? Often they say one thing when they mean another.”
“It’s very easy to understand people, Sofia. Just bear in mind that 99.99% of the time people are completely motivated by selfish needs. If there is nothing to be gained from their relationship with you they won’t be around.”
She bites her lip. “So you know that they are around you for personal gain and you don’t mind?”
I grin. “I’m around them for personal gain too.”
She stares at me. “What do you hope to gain from me?”
Just like that my dick pops into wood. “You? I want you,” I say through gritted teeth.
Her cheeks flame. “I … I can’t have a relationship with anybody.”
She looks so fearful I feel like I should be protecting her from myself. “Why not?”
Her chin trembles and her long lashes sweep down. “It’s a long story.”
“I like long stories.”
She tries to smile, but it comes out like a grimace. “You won’t like this one.”
I know she wants me too, but something is holding her back. I reach my hand out to take hers in mine and she jumps as if I have electrocuted her. Looking deep into her eyes I take her hand back into mine and let my thumb stroke it. Her skin is pure silk. She swallows hard.
“I … You’ll be disappointed,” she stammers.
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“I’m not what you think I am?”
“What do you think I think you are?”
“You think I’m normal. I’m not.”
I smile bitterly. “Neither am I.”
She shakes her head. “I’m damaged goods.” She pauses, her eyes pained. “I’m not … mentally right.”
I grip her hand hard. “You’ll do fine, just as you are, Sofia.”
Her eyes swim with tears and she blinks them away. “You don’t understand. I can’t be with you, Jack. I can’t be with anyone.” She stands up suddenly. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
I stand too. “Let me pay the bill first and I’ll take you back.”
“No, I’ll just take a taxi,” she says looking around us nervously. I would lay money on the table that she has never taken a taxi before and she’s scared shitless.
“No you fucking won’t. I brought you here
She swallows and shrugs delicately. “There’s not much to tell,” she says hesitantly. “I live with my sister, her husband and their daughter.”
I nod. “Do you work?”
She shakes her head and the light catches her eyes and they glow like warmed honey with bits of gold pollen. Beautiful. I gaze at her and she blushes.
“What do you do with your time?” I ask. I need to stop behaving like a teenager.
She picks up a chip, dips it restlessly a few times in ketchup, leaves it at the side of her plate, and picks up her glass of Coke. Without drinking from it she puts it back down.
“I know it must seem as if I’d have a whole load of time and be bored all day, but in fact, it’s not so. I have my sister, my niece, and my puppy, and the days just fly. Before I know it, it’s already bedtime.”
I take another bite and try to imagine her life, and just cannot. It seems so different, so alien. Living in the tower of a castle. Spending every day with her sister, a baby, and a puppy.
“Do you guys go out a lot?” I ask curiously.
She laughs nervously. “No, rarely. I’m a homebody, I don’t like leaving the castle grounds.’ She wipes her mouth and quickly deflects the question back to me. “What about you? Do you go out a lot?”
“Uh, my apartment is basically just a place I go to sleep at night.” I don’t tell her that half the time I don’t even go home to sleep.
“Oh,” she murmurs. “How completely different we are. I can’t imagine only returning home to sleep. I guess I’m a bit of a loner. I prefer to spend a lot of time on my own.”
“Don’t you like people?”
“It’s not that I don’t like people. I find it hard to connect with them. They are not like animals or children, are they? Often they say one thing when they mean another.”
“It’s very easy to understand people, Sofia. Just bear in mind that 99.99% of the time people are completely motivated by selfish needs. If there is nothing to be gained from their relationship with you they won’t be around.”
She bites her lip. “So you know that they are around you for personal gain and you don’t mind?”
I grin. “I’m around them for personal gain too.”
She stares at me. “What do you hope to gain from me?”
Just like that my dick pops into wood. “You? I want you,” I say through gritted teeth.
Her cheeks flame. “I … I can’t have a relationship with anybody.”
She looks so fearful I feel like I should be protecting her from myself. “Why not?”
Her chin trembles and her long lashes sweep down. “It’s a long story.”
“I like long stories.”
She tries to smile, but it comes out like a grimace. “You won’t like this one.”
I know she wants me too, but something is holding her back. I reach my hand out to take hers in mine and she jumps as if I have electrocuted her. Looking deep into her eyes I take her hand back into mine and let my thumb stroke it. Her skin is pure silk. She swallows hard.
“I … You’ll be disappointed,” she stammers.
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“I’m not what you think I am?”
“What do you think I think you are?”
“You think I’m normal. I’m not.”
I smile bitterly. “Neither am I.”
She shakes her head. “I’m damaged goods.” She pauses, her eyes pained. “I’m not … mentally right.”
I grip her hand hard. “You’ll do fine, just as you are, Sofia.”
Her eyes swim with tears and she blinks them away. “You don’t understand. I can’t be with you, Jack. I can’t be with anyone.” She stands up suddenly. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
I stand too. “Let me pay the bill first and I’ll take you back.”
“No, I’ll just take a taxi,” she says looking around us nervously. I would lay money on the table that she has never taken a taxi before and she’s scared shitless.
“No you fucking won’t. I brought you here
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